Sunday, October 25, 2015

Listen to the Moon

Kensuke's Kingdon is one of my favorite books and I used to read it to my students when I taught 5th grade. I always look for his books and this one was a treat. Cool thing is - he already had another great book which I reviewed here... http://readingbythepond.blogspot.com/2015/06/half-man.htmlIn this book, set during World War I, Albie and his father find a girl on a deserted island. All they know is that she has a teddy bear,a blanket with a German name on it, and she said Lucy when they find her. Other than that she won't speak. Bit by bith the family is able to help her physically and emotionally but when others on the island find out about the possible German connection they are angry and scared.Meanwhile, we hear the story of Merry and her mother who are on their was to visit Merry's father who was injured fighting in WWI. On their way, the boat they are on, the Lusitania is hit and sank.This reminded me quite a bit of Kensuke's Kingdom. I,of course, figured out the connection early on but it was a treat to watch everything unfold. There was one part I wasn't getting, Lucy, but then it became clear. Great story ;0